Stranded
by Iscea
Summary: Shiro could feel the others watching him, their eyes wide and scared as they waited for him to tell them that everything was going to be okay, that Allura and Coran were on their way, but Shiro couldn't lie about this, not to them. In which Keith is injured, and the team struggles to keep him alive on a hostile planet. (Gen fic)(Broganes)
1. Chapter 1

**Stranded**

 _Shiro could feel the others watching him, their eyes wide and scared as they waited for him to tell them that everything was going to be okay, that Allura and Coran were on their way, but Shiro couldn't lie about this, not to them. Instead, he bit his lip and focused back on the gaping wound in Keith's side, ignoring the way his heart clenched as a small, pained cry escaped the red paladin's mouth._

 _Shiro would never admit it, but deep down he was panicking. (Gen fic) (Broganes)_

 **Keith is my favorite character, and thus he must suffer.**

 **Gen fic, so no pairings. This takes place right before the end of season 2, so the team has already become allies withe the Blade of Marmora and rescued Slav, but Allura doesn't give Keith the cold shoulder. That or she's already gotten over it, your pick.**

 **I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender**

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Chapter 1—Awry

Shiro awoke to the sound of loud ringing in his ears.

Brow furrowing in confusion, Shiro slowly blinked his eyes open, and winced when he was immediately met with harsh, flashing, red lights that caused his head to throb rather painfully. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember where he was, ignoring the black fog that clouded his mind, threatening to lull him back under into peaceful slumber. Instead he focused on his senses, letting them ground him back to reality as he slowly became aware of his surroundings.

He was currently slumped over in a seat, his head resting on something hard and flat—the console he could only assume, judging by the cool, metallic surface against the bare skin of his jaw—but something was off. This wasn't Black. He wasn't inside his lion's cockpit. The seat felt slightly off, and even the sound of the blaring alarms was different.

Where was he?

Forcing his eyes back open, Shiro was grateful that the flashing lights didn't bother his eyes nearly as much as it did the first time, and he felt the pounding in his head recede somewhat. Slowly, his vision swung back in place. Around him, familiar Altean lettering flashed across the dashboard, and Shiro blinked in confusion when realized where he was.

A . . . pod?

Before he could ponder his whereabouts any further, a low groan arose from somewhere behind him, along with the sound of movement.

" _Ugh_. Did anyone get the number of that thing that hit us? I swear I'm going to be seeing stars for weeks after this."

Shiro's brow furrowed at the familiar voice. Lance. That was Lance. What was he doing here?

Someone scoffed.

"Quit being so dramatic. You're fine." Pidge snarked back, though her words were half-hearted at best, and lacked their usual fire. She sounded groggy, as if she had just woken up.

Lance huffed, grumpily muttering something under his breath, and Shiro could hear the solid clank of his armor scraping against the floor as he moved around.

"Hunk? Dude, you still alive?"

"Yeah, I'm . . . I'm—" Hunk paused, cutting his sentence short, and a moment later Shiro heard the distinct sound of someone puking.

"He's fine." Pidge said dryly, and Lance sighed.

"Peaceful _my foot_." Lance mocked irritably. "Next time Princess Allura sends us on another diplomatic mission we're taking the lions. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

At those words, everything suddenly snapped back into place.

With a start, Shiro gasped, jolting upright in his chair as the last remnants of sleep fled from his subconscious, clearing his mind as everything came rushing back to him all at once.

The _mission_.

Glancing past the pod's cracked and partly shattered windshield, Shiro stared at the lush, jungle-like environment before him, instantly recognizing the tall, knobby, yet twisting trees from the images Coran had shown them during the debriefing. They were on Agharia, home to the Agharians, a peaceful race and one of the last ones still free from Zarkon's reign. Allura had sent them here in hopes to gain more allies before their strike against Zarkon, but something had gone wrong. Shiro recalled entering Agharia's atmosphere peacefully enough, but once they had emerged through the clouds something must've hit them, because the last thing Shiro remembered was spiraling down towards the trees before everything went black.

They had obviously been shot down, and Shiro felt his stomach twist with a growing sense of dread, though inwardly he was kicking himself for being so careless. Eyes narrowing, his right hand clenched into a fist, and the metal gears of his prosthetic arm whirred softly.

 _Lance was right. We should have brought the lions._

Shiro's thoughts were interrupted when someone rapped loudly on the thin, metal door that separated the pilot and co-pilot's seat from the rest of the pod, and Shiro winced when his head pounded slightly at the loud noise.

To his right, a low moan came from the co-pilot's chair.

"Shiro, Keith!" Lance yelled, a hint of concern in his normally easy-going voice. "You guys okay?"

"I'm fine!" Shiro replied back, closing his eyes. He didn't think he had a concussion, thank god, but he did have one hell of a headache. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rubbed his eyes, hoping to alleviate the dull ache behind his eyelids. "What about you? Are you guys alright?"

"A little banged up, but we're fine." Lance said, and Shiro felt his shoulders sag with relief.

It wasn't until a moment later Shiro realized that Keith had yet to respond.

"Keith, you okay?" He asked, peeling his eyes open and turning his head to glance over at the red paladin.

And instantly froze.

From his spot in the co-pilot's chair, the red paladin's eyes were screwed shut, jaw clenched, and his head pressing into the back of his seat as a small tremor racked his lithe frame. His left arm was wrapped tightly around his torso, his left hand clutching desperately at his right side, and with a start, Shiro realized that his fingertips were covered with blood.

Before Shiro could even blink he was already scrambling out of his chair and moving to Keith's side.

"Keith!" He cried, his heart pounding as he dropped to one knee, his hands hovering over Keith's prone form.

"Shiro?" Lance's voice filtered through the door, sounding alarmed.

Shiro ignored the blue paladin, and instead focused on Keith—his little brother in everything but blood. Underneath his helmet, a light sheen of sweat had gathered on the red paladin's brow, and his breathing was slightly off, not quite wheezing, but shallow and uneven enough to send off another round of warning bells inside Shiro's head. Keith's already pale skin seemed a few shades whiter, and Shiro pressed his lips into a hard, thin line. Gently, he reached out and tapped the exposed part of Keith cheek with his right hand, hoping to rouse him.

"Keith?" He said softly, urgently tapping his cheek again when the teen didn't so much as stir. "C'mon, buddy, open you're eyes for me."

Keith's brows furrowed, a low moan rising in the back of his throat as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Shiro?" He rasped, voice dry and blinking sluggishly. Shiro felt his stomach sink at the rather dazed look in the red paladin's normally perceptive gaze.

"Yeah, it's me." Shiro whispered, moving his hand down to gently squeeze Keith's shoulder. "How're you feeling?"

Swallowing thickly, Keith opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when he broke out into a small coughing fit. Wincing as the rough action jarred his side, the red paladin's face contorted into a grimace, and Shiro had to place a firm hand on Keith's chest to keep him from folding in on himself as his body gave a violent shudder.

"Um, _guys_?" Lance called again, this time sounding more panicked than alarmed.

In the back of his mind, Shiro knew that he should probably answer, but at the moment he was too busy murmuring consoling words into Keith's ear as the red paladin leaned forward with a groan, his head dropping against Shiro's shoulder with a shudder.

"Easy, kiddo. Just breathe." Shiro instructed gently, rubbing the teen's back, and his brows furrowed with concern as he listened to Keith's ragged breathing. "Just breathe."

"S-shit," Keith wheezed once the fit passed, eyes squeezed shut as he sagged in his seat, his fingers curling as he gingerly held his side, "H'rts."

"I know." Shiro whispered soothingly, his heart sinking at the red paladin's words.

The fact that Keith—the most unshakable and tight-lipped of them all— was confessing his pain bothered him more than he liked to admit. Unease curling inside his gut, Shiro glanced down at Keith's injured side, and his mouth twisted into a frown when he saw the amount of blood staining Keith's gloved hand.

"I'm going to take a quick look at it, okay?" He stated softly, dropping his hand to the red paladin's wrist.

Keith nodded jerkily against his shoulder, eyes still closed as he tried to control his breathing, his chest heaving up and down. "Okay."

Gripping Keith's wrist, Shiro slid his hand up to gently pry the red paladin's trembling fingers away from his side, and slowly nudged his hand away so that he could see exactly what they were dealing with.

Shiro's chest lurched painfully at the sight.

At first glance the wound is ugly. A large, jagged piece of glass—which undoubtedly came from the now shattered windshield— is firmly embedded into Keith's side, tearing and slicing through both skin and muscle, leaving a long, and rather deep gash from his hip to just below the bottom-most part of his ribcage. Blood oozes slowly, but steadily from the wound, and now that Keith's hand is no longer blocking his view, Shiro could now see the large stain spreading across the black material of Keith's uniform.

This . . . this was not good.

Letting out a shaky breath, Shiro closed his eyes, struggling to keep his head as memories of his time in the arena threatened to burst forward—images of blood and death flashing in his mind.

Shiro gritted his teeth, his metal arm humming with barely restrained energy.

 _Focus, Shirogone_ , he chastised himself. He wasn't there anymore. He was with his team, his friends, on Agharia—far away from that god-forsaken arena.

Breathing slowly out his nose, Shiro recalled his training from the Garrison, silently urging his racing heart to slow. He had to stay calm. He was both their leader and senior officer. He couldn't afford to loose his cool and panic—not here. Keith, the team—they needed him with a level head if they were going to get out of this.

Keith's head shifted against his shoulder.

"Th't bad, huh?" The red paladin murmured, voice wavering, and with a start Shiro realized that he had been quiet far longer than he probably should have.

"It's not pretty," Shiro admitted slowly. Carefully, he ran his hand down Keith's back, and inwardly sighed in relief when he realized that the shard hadn't pierced him all the way through. "But you're gonna be okay. We'll fix you right up, I promise."

Keith nodded, but when he didn't say anything else Shiro felt another wave of worry wash over him, and he reached back up to tightly grip the red paladin's shoulder.

They needed to treat his wound, and quickly, but first, Shiro was going to need some help.

"Hunk!" He yelled towards the door, his deep voice reverberating off the metallic walls. "I need you up here!"

On the other side of the pod, small, hurried footsteps clapped against the floor, anxious.

"Shiro, what's going on?" Pidge asked nervously, her voice feeble. "Is everything okay?"

Before Shiro could reply, a loud, metallic screech rent through the air, and Shiro glanced over Keith's head to see Hunk slowly prying the door open with his hands. The yellow paladin grunted, and with one last shove the doors finally gave way, sliding all the way back, and both Pidge and Lance hurriedly ducked under Hunk's outstretched arms before dashing over towards Shiro, the yellow paladin just a step behind them.

All three of them skidded to a stop when their eyes landed on Keith, and the blood coating his side.

Pidge blanched, sucking in a harsh breath as her eyes widened behind her glasses. Behind her, Hunk swallowed loudly, looking torn between wanting to help and wanting to puke. Lance, the only one who seemed capable of speech, swore unintelligibly in Spanish, his voice low and fast.

"Dios mio, Keith!" Lance breathed, eyes wide as stared at his teammate. His gaze snapped towards Shiro. "What the hell? I thought you said you were okay?"

"Not the time for questions, Lance." Shiro said curtly, frowning as Keith moaned softly against his shoulder. Brows furrowing, Shiro glanced towards the other three paladins and began to fire off orders. "Hunk, grab the med-kit, it should still be under the control panel. Pidge, contact Allura and Coran. Tell them we need a pick-up and to have a pod ready when we get there. Lance, check the area. Make sure whoever shot us down isn't nearby."

For a moment, the three younger paladins merely blinked, seemingly frozen to the spot at the rapid speed he delivered his commands, and Shiro scowled, the barest hint of impatience filtering across his face.

"Now!" He barked.

The three jumped as if they had been slapped. Scrambling, Hunk began to search for the med-kit, Pidge right behind him as they darted for the control panel, already shrugging off her backpack and pulling out her equipment. Lance ran out the door as if a pack hounds were nipping at his heels, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process as he hurried out the pod.

Shiro sighed. Under normal circumstances, he would've apologized for snapping at them in a such a harsh manner, but time was of the essence. Keith was hurt, and needed proper medical attention, and soon.

Keith shuddered, his hand once again moving to curl around his injured side, and Shiro grabbed his wrist, stopping him when his fingers began to stray too close to the glass shard embedded in his stomach.

"Don't touch it." Shiro warned. Keith grunted, and the black paladin could feel his hand shaking slightly within his grip.

"Sh'ro," Keith murmured, his chest hitching, " _Out_. I can't—"

Shiro shushed him, his thumb running across Keith's wrist in slow, comforting circles.

"I know, kiddo. Just tough it out a little bit longer, okay?" Shiro whispered, his chest constricting painfully as he listened to the red paladin's uneven breathing. Frowning, he glanced over towards the control panel, his eyes landing Hunk as the yellow paladin dug through the cupboards. "Any luck, Hunk?"

"Not yet—oh, wait!" With a triumphant cry, the yellow paladin held up the blue colored med-kit. "Got'chya!"

Moving to his feet, Hunk quickly darted over towards the co-pilot's chair, wordlessly handing Shiro the med-kit, and the black paladin gave him a grateful nod.

"Thanks, Hunk." Shiro said, before glancing down towards Keith, who was still leaning against his shoulder. He grimaced. The red paladin would need to move in order for him to treat the teen's wound.

"Think you can hold him for me real quick?" Shiro asked.

Hunk nodded, his expression solemn as he eyed Keith with quiet sympathy.

"Sure." Hunk replied, stepping closer before gently placing his large hands on the red paladin's shoulders.

Slowly, he eased Keith off of Shiro, and flinched when Keith let out a loud hiss at the movement, his eyes slamming shut and face twisting with pain.

"Sorry, sorry." Hunk apologized quickly, looking almost stricken as he and Shiro leaned Keith against the back of the chair.

"'S fine," Keith croaked, his shoulders trembling as he let out a shaky breath. Blearily, he opened his eyes, and looked at Shiro, his jaw tightening. "Jus' get it over with."

Grimly, Shiro nodded before thumbing the med-kit open. As he searched its contents for the proper medical supplies, Hunk began talking, his voice low and soothing.

"Don't you worry, dude, we'll get you fixed up in no time." The yellow paladin said with a comforting smile, his voice bright despite their situation. "And when we get back to the castle, I'll make all your favorite foods whenever you want, for a week! How's that sound?"

Keith huffed, though Shiro suspected it was supposed to be a laugh.

"S'nds great, Hunk." Keith murmured, voice wobbling slightly, but still strong enough to sound amused.

The worry in Shiro's chest eased somewhat, and his shoulders relaxed slightly.

He was going to okay, Shiro told himself as he pulled out some gauze and a roll of bandages. Keith was hurt and he was bleeding, but he was going to be okay. Once they were back in the castle he would be placed inside a healing pod and today would be nothing more than a bad dream.

He was going to _okay_.

For a moment, Shiro almost believed it himself, but knowing their luck, his especially, he really should've known better.

"Um, Shiro . . ." Pidge's voice filtered in from the control panel, her voice wavering and uneasy.

Shiro glanced up from the med-kit, frowning at the girl's tone of voice. Turning his head, he spotted Pidge kneeling before the control panel, her helmet held loosely in her hands. His heart pounded slightly when he saw the faintest hint of fear in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Pidge?" He asked, tone wary. The girl swallowed nervously.

"I can't reach the reach the Castle of Lions."

Shiro knew from that moment onwards, that today was going to be a long day.

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 **So thoughts? This my first try at hurt/comfort fic, so let me know how I did and what I need to improve on.**

 **And I had every intention to finish the second chapter of Red and Green this weekend (just one more scene to go!) but then this happened, and yeah . . . I just had to write it down. But I'll try to finish it soon, I promise!**

 **Please review! For the most part, they determine if I continue or not.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Iscea**


	2. Chapter 2

**Stranded**

 _Shiro could feel the others watching him, their eyes wide and scared as they waited for him to tell them that everything was going to be okay, that Allura and Coran were on their way, but Shiro couldn't lie about this, not to them. Instead, he bit his lip and focused back on the gaping wound in Keith's side, ignoring the way his heart clenched as a small, pained cry escaped the red paladin's mouth._

 _Shiro would never admit it, but deep down he was panicking. (Gen fic) (Broganes)_

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 **Sorry about the wait, guys, I was just really busy with college and work and simply didn't have a lot of free time to write. But the semester's almost over, so hopefully the third chapter won't take as long lol.**

 **And thank for all the reviews! Your kind words are so precious to me! :)**

 **Also! If you like, you can now follow me as isceawritings on tumblr!**

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/

 **Chapter 2 – Worry**

"They should've checked in by now."

Coran paused, hands hovering over the control panel as he turned to glance at Allura. The young princess was frowning, which was never a good sign in Coran's humble opinion—he could still remember how that same frown, and the tantrum that followed it, often sent Alfor ducking for cover when Allura was a little girl. But that was years ago. Allura was no longer that little girl, and now that she had matured, that same frown could mean a vast amount of things. But judging from the the slight wrinkle in her brow, Coran could only assume that she was worried.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

"I'm sure they're fine, princess." Coran reassured her, smiling brightly. "They're probably chatting it up with the locals right now."

Well, Lance probably was, anyway. A social butterfly, that one. Keith he wasn't so sure about, and Pidge and Hunk would probably be more interested in the Agharians' technology than going over mundane politics. Shiro, the poor lad, was probably struggling to keep them all from wandering off.

Allura's frown deepened, and she turned her gaze away from the window, where Agharia could be seen in the nearby distance.

"It's been almost a whole varga, Coran." Allura stated softly, and nervously bit her lip. "I don't like this. Something feels wrong."

"If they were in trouble, I'm sure they would've called us by now, princess." Coran pointed out gently before turning back towards the control panel, checking up on some of the castle's updates. "Don't worry. Have some faith in your paladins."

Allura sighed.

"I suppose you right. I'm probably just being paranoid. All this fighting has made me rather suspicious."

At this, Coran felt his heart sink, and not for the first time he wondered if he had failed Alfor when he promised to keep his daughter safe. A young girl like Allura shouldn't have to worry about fighting and war, shouldn't have to be so suspicious of the world.

Coran was brought out of his musings when his monitor suddenly began to beep. Tilting his head, he swiped his hand across then panel, searching for the source of the sudden beeping, and his brows furrowed in confusion when he realized where it was coming from.

"Odd." He muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his mustache.

"What is it?" Allura asked, her boots clapping against the floor as she moved to stand beside him.

"The Red Lion's moving." Coran informed her as he brought up the video feed from the lion's hangar. The Red Lion was indeed up on all fours, and was restlessly moving from one side of the hangar to other, his tail flickering slowly behind him.

Allura's blue eyes narrowed as she watched the footage. "He seems agitated."

"Yes, but why?" Coran inquired, a puzzled frown forming on his lips.

Silently, the two of them shared a long look. It was no secret that Red Lion shared a strong bond with Keith, and was very protective of his paladin. Whatever had happened to human teen, it was strong enough to wake Red Lion, and judging by his body language, it couldn't be anything good.

Allura's eyes hardened, and she gave Coran a sharp look.

"Call Shiro." She said firmly, voice stern and sounding every bit the leader her father used to be.

"Yes, princess." Coran replied, and inwardly tried to ignore the barest hint of unease curling in his chest.

Raising his hand, Coran reached for the comms, but before he could even touch the screen the castle suddenly shuddered, and the next thing he knew he was being thrown across the room with a loud _bang_.

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/

It was steadily becoming harder and harder to stay focused.

Blinking sluggishly, Keith struggled to keep his eyes open. He was beginning to feel lightheaded—probably not a good sign in his current state—and if it wasn't for Hunks's steadying hands on his shoulders, he probably would've face-planted into the floor by now.

"—pod's radio . . . busted . . . can't—!"

"—try contacting . . . with the comms on your helmet—"

"—already tried, Shiro! _Nothing's_ working!"

Shiro. Pidge. They were talking—rather loudly in fact—but due to the dull roaring in his ears, actually following the conversation was proving rather difficult. They were just talking way too fast—his muddled brain couldn't keep up.

Hissing through his teeth, Keith's eyes squeezed shut as another wave of pain erupted from his side, sharp and stabbing, and he grimaced, ducking his head as his body trembled. His breathing stuttered, and his right hand clenched into a tight fist while his left desperately clutched at his abdomen, causing blood to smear across his hands and across his armor. He could feel the cold, stinging sharpness of the glass shard biting into his skin, draining him of his energy, and his fingers shook. Honestly, Shiro's words from earlier was the only thing keeping him from ripping out the shard and flinging it across the room with a loud snarl.

God, his side _ached_.

Hunk's grip on his shoulders tightened as another tremor shook his battered frame, and Keith had to bite down hard on his bottom lip to keep himself from gasping.

"Keith, you okay?" The yellow paladin inquired softly, and Keith blinked his eyes open, glancing up to see Hunk regarding him with furrowed brows and worried, brown eyes.

Keith quickly turned his head away, and instantly regretted it when the world began to tilt ever so slightly.

"M'fine." Keith grunted shortly, and he inwardly winced at the strained rawness of his voice.

Hunk hummed lowly in the back of his throat, looking unconvinced, which frankly didn't come as a surprise. Anyone with eyes could see that he wasn't in fact _fine_ , but the yellow paladin didn't call him out on his obvious lie. Instead, Hunk merely dropped a large hand to hover over his injured side for a moment before gently placing his hand over Keith's own, helping him stem the blood flow as the yellow paladin gently pressed their hands down, careful not to touch the glass shard. Keith hissed at the contact, suddenly feeling as if he had been pricked by thousands of needles, and Hunk frowned, his eyes nervously flickering between Keith's face and the blood staining his armor, but otherwise remained silent.

That was the good thing about Hunk, Keith mused. Unlike Lance, the yellow paladin knew when to keep his thoughts to himself.

Keith closed his eyes as his side gave another painful throb, and let out a shaky breath, his chest hitching. He wished Red was here, not caring how childish it might've sounded. Red was now a very intricate part of his very being, his very soul, and he missed his lion's warm, soothing presence. At the moment, their connection was barely more than a trickle, fleeting and hazy—possibly a side effect from the blood loss, but it left Keith feeling cold and inexplicably empty. He wanted nothing more than for Red to just scoop him up into his massive jaws and fly them far away from this wretched planet, as fast as Red could go until they were safe—from this planet, from Zarkon, from _everything_.

But Red wasn't here—Red, who fiercely fought side by side with him against Zarkon, and who always came for him whenever he was in danger—and Keith couldn't help but feel troubled, worry and fear beginning to churn in his gut along with the sharp coldness of the glass shard. But whether it was for himself, Red, or his friends, he wasn't sure.

. . . _Where are you?_ He asked, wordlessly calling out to the eerie quietness inside his mind.

Silence was his answer.

* * *

/

Shiro was seriously beginning to believe that the universe conspired to make his life a living hell.

Head pounding, Shiro placed his helmet on the floor and ran an aggravated hand through his short hair, struggling to keep his cool and collected countenance—his game face, as the other paladins had jokingly called it—and desperately tried to keep his own worry at bay. The fact that the comms were down shouldn't have surprised him—the universe loved to thrust him into the most unfortunate of circumstances after all—but it did little to ease the cold, helpless feeling wringing inside his chest as he dug through the med-kit's contents.

They _needed_ to reach Allura and Coran. With their only means of transportation now completely busted, they had no safe way of getting off this planet, and with their meager medical supplies and mediocre medical training from the Garrison, there was only so much they could do for Keith.

Grimacing, Shiro's eyes drifted back towards the red paladin, and his heart sank. Keith's pale face was pinched with pain, and his breathing had gotten rougher over the past couple of minutes, becoming more shallow and fast, and if it wasn't for Hunk holding him upright, Keith probably would've fallen out of his chair by now, judging from the dazed look in his violet-gray eyes.

Shiro's hands clenched, fingers digging into the med-kit as he mentally cursed his own inadequateness.

He needed a doctor, or preferably a cryo-pod. If the circumstances had been different, Shiro would've scooped him up and marched him right over to their meeting place with the Agharians, but they weren't. They had been _shot down_. _Someone_ had tried to take them out and were still out there, somewhere, and now Shiro didn't know who he could trust on this planet. For all he knew, the Agharians could be behind this, and Shiro had sworn that he wouldn't let anything happen to any of the younger paladins. If he took them there, Shiro could very well end up leading them to their deaths.

He couldn't loose any of them. Not here, when they were millions of light years away from Earth. Otherwise he'd never be able to forgive himself—never be able to look their families in the eye ever again.

Pidge started pacing, her boots clapping loudly against the metal floor, and Shiro focused his gaze back on her. The green paladin was mumbling lowly to herself, her hair frazzled from both the crash and where she had run her fingers through the short strands. Every now and then her eyes would flicker from the broken control panel to Keith, and Shiro could see the slight, frustrated tears pricking at the corner of her eyes whenever she happened to glance down at the red paladin's wounded side.

It wasn't Pidge's fault that the comms were completely busted, but as their designated tech expert, she probably felt like she was failing them now that it was abundantly clear that they were on their own—that she couldn't get Keith the help he needed.

The big brother in him made Shiro want to console her, but before he could open his mouth he was suddenly interrupted by Hunk.

"Shiro, I really think we should do something about the bleeding." The yellow paladin said nervously. "It's not stopping."

A quick glance at the shard imbedded in Keith's flank confirmed Hunk's words. Underneath the red and yellow paladins' hands, blood still steadily oozed from the wound, and with a start Shiro realized that the red liquid was beginning to drop onto the floor, forming a small puddle by Hunk's feet.

Heart pounding, Shiro quickly grabbed the box of gauze pads from the med-kit, but paused when he caught the look on Pidge's face out of the corner of her eye.

She looked stricken, her brown eyes wide behind her glasses as she stared at the blood on the floor with something akin to fear and horror.

Something in Shiro's chest wrenched, hard. She was only _fourteen_. She didn't need to see this.

"Pidge, go help Lance outside." He told her as he ripped the box open.

The girl frowned. "But, Shiro—the comms—"

"—Can _wait_." He insisted firmly. "Now go help Lance."

Pidge bit her lip, looking undecided and torn as she glanced over at the broken control panel, then back at Keith. Her brows furrowed, her eyes narrowing stubbornly with determination, but before she could protest, Shiro cut her off.

"Please." He said softly.

Pidge swallowed and closed her eyes, and for a moment Shiro thought she was about to argue, but after a few tense seconds she nodded.

"Fine." She muttered. With one last worried look in Keith's direction, she jerkily spun on her heel and marched her way out of the pod.

With Pidge gone and his conscience now cleared—Samuel would _kill him_ if he had let his daughter stay—Shiro focused on Keith, ignoring the trepidation of what he was about to do, and wondered how they should go about this.

"We should lay him down," Shiro told Hunk, recalling his Garrison training as he momentarily placed the box of gauze on the floor, "it'll make things a lot easier on him and on us."

Hunk nodded, though his eyes were anxious. "Right, okay, um—how do you want to—?"

"Grab his shoulders, I'll grab his legs." Shiro said curtly, but not unkindly. He could understand the yellow paladin's wariness. He was scared, too.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro steadied his nerves, and cleared his head. Gently, he reached out tapped the red paladin's cheek, inwardly grimacing as he listen to Keith's uneven breathing.

"Keith? You still with me, kiddo?" He asked softly.

"Y-yeah," Keith rasped, chest hitching and eyes blinking slowly. Shiro frowned.

"We're going to move you." He said gently, moving his hand down to grip the red paladin's arm. "I know it'll hurt, but try to stay as still as possible, okay?"

It took a moment longer for Keith to respond than he should have, and Shiro's frown deepened.

"M'kay," Keith breathed, nodding jerkily as his shoulders trembled. Whether it was from pain, or fear of what was about to come, Shiro couldn't tell.

Glancing upwards, Shiro's gaze met Hunk's.

"Ready?" Shiro asked as he grabbed Keith's calves.

"Not really," Hunk replied honestly, but despite his words he gripped Keith's shoulders firmly, maneuvering his hands underneath the red paladin's arms, before nodding.

But before they could so much as lift Keith from the chair, loud, hurried footsteps echoed off the pod's metallic walls, and a moment later, Lance was skidding to stop in front of them, chest heaving and eyes wide with a certain nervousness that caused Shiro's heart to instantly drop to his toes.

"We got a problem!" The blue paladin cried as Pidge quickly came up behind him, looking just as lost and bewildered as Shiro.

"What is it, Lance?" Shiro's asked. His eyes narrowed as a sudden, suspicious thought occurred to him. "Is it the Agharians?"

Lance nodded, pausing just long enough to look impressed by Shiro's deductive skills. "Yeah and they're not alone. They've got at least a dozen Galra soldiers with them, and they're heading right for us."

"Galra?" Hunk yelped in disbelief. "But I thought the Agharians were free from the Galra? That's the whole reason why Allura sent us here!"

"Looks like they lied." Pidge muttered bitterly, crossing her arms.

Hunk's eyes widened with a dawning realization as he glanced between his teammates. "Wait, this was a trap?"

"It's starting to look that way." Shiro said with a scowl. He was _really_ beginning to wish they had brought the lions. What he wouldn't give to have Black with him right now. "How long until they get here, Lance?"

"They're about two miles out, so . . ." Lance shrugged, rotating his hand in a rough-estimate gesture, "maybe ten minutes?"

Shiro mentally cursed. Damn, that didn't leave them with a whole lot of time, and with Keith hurt . . .

"Okay, everyone, grab your helmets and your gear, we're leaving." Shiro announced, leaving no room for debate as he grabbed his own helmet off the floor and placed it over his head.

Considering that Shiro had nearly bit their heads off the last time he given them an order, Pidge and Lance didn't waste any time following his instructions this time around. Both of them scrambled for their discarded helmets, and quickly began stuffing Pidge's backpack with any other essentials they could find in the small pod.

Hunk, however, remained rooted to the spot.

"But, Shiro," Hunk whispered, worriedly glancing down at the red paladin in his arms, who was slumped in his seat, eyes half-lidded, and looking one second away from passing out, "Keith's still—"

"I _know_ ," Shiro interrupted gently, "I don't like it either, Hunk. But we _can't_ stay here."

The yellow paladin bit his lip, still seeming unsure and looking like he wanted to say more, but didn't question Shiro any further, something that Shiro was internally grateful for.

Hunk was right about one thing, though. The bleeding, they had to do something about it or Keith would eventually bleed to death.

A plan forming in his mind, Shiro quickly reached down and picked up the box of gauze pads he had set down earlier and ripped it open. Taking out several packets, he tore the seams off and bunched the white fabric together before inching closer towards Keith and grabbing his wrist, carefully moving his hand aside. The red paladin stirred at the movement, his brows furrowing and eyes blinking slowly, but before he could ask him what he was doing Shiro was already moving forward, placing the gauze around the shard and pressing down, hard.

The reaction was almost instantaneous.

Keith's eyes snapped open before quickly squeezing shut as his back twisted against the co-pilot's chair, a strangled cry rising in the back of his throat as his body tried to lurch forward into a fetal position, but Hunk firmly held him down by his shoulders. Groaning, the red paladin's breathing stuttered, his breaths coming in short, rapid pants, and Shiro frowned as he felt Keith's chest heave sporadically underneath his palms.

"Keith, buddy, I know it hurts but I need to listen to me." Shiro instructed him firmly, but gently as he grabbed the younger paladin's hand and placed it over the gauze. "We have to go, so I need to hold this down for me while I carry you. Think you can do that?"

Sucking in a harsh breath, Keith's eyes pried open, and though they were filled with pain Shiro was relieved to see that they more alert than they had been a couple seconds ago, and had the barest hints of a familiar fire burning inside them.

Swallowing thickly, Keith stubbornly clenched his jaw.

"I . . . I can w-walk." The red paladin declared feebly. Shifting in his seat, Keith tried to move to his feet, but Shiro and Hunk held him down.

"The hell you are." Shiro chided. Keith huffed, muttering something unintelligible under his his breath, but Shiro didn't waste any more time trying to decipher it. Instead, he maneuvered his hands underneath the red paladin's back and knees, adjusting his weight on the balls of his feet before carefully lifting the younger teen up.

Eyes squeezing shut, Keith's body shuddered at the sudden movement, his mouth twisting with pain as his head lolled against Shiro's shoulder.

"Keep up the pressure on your side, Keith." Shiro sternly reminded him when he saw the red paladin's hand start to slip. Keith once again muttered something he couldn't quite hear, but obediently pressed a shaking hand against his wound.

Turning around, Shiro focused on the rest of team while Hunk moved to safely stash the med-kit inside Pidge's backpack. The three of them were eyeing Keith with quiet concern, but stood with their backs straight, bayards at hand, and ready to follow Shiro's orders into the unknown. Despite their rather bleak situation, a small smile lit the corners of Shiro's lips. How'd he get so lucky to have such an amazing team?

"Let's go, guys."

As they stepped out of the pod, Shiro only prayed Allura and Coran would find them soon.

* * *

 **Hunk is such a pure cinnamon roll lol.**

 **And next chapter we'll get a bit more Lance (and Pidge) interaction, since he hasn't really had his chance to shine yet. And what's going on at the Castle of Lions?**

 **Please review! For the most part, they determine if I continue or not.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Iscea**


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